Pilgrim Baptist rebuilding plan unveiled

For those wanting to know what the future will look like for Pilgrim Baptist Church, Saturday's unveiling of rebuilding plans surpassed expectations.

Architects hired to resurrect the South Side church, which burned down in January 2006, detailed a $37 million restoration.

They plan to replicate the church -- originally designed by renowned architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan -- with the help of salvaged artifacts and photos. They also plan to build two new structures on church grounds: a social services building and a cultural center.

"I think it's glorious," said Carolyn Austin, 76, wife of Rev. Junius Austin Jr., who led the congregation until his death in 1992. "It's beyond what I was really thinking about. I didn't know what the possibilities were."

The Bronzeville church, built in 1891 and originally used as a synagogue, was destroyed when workers repairing the roof accidentally set it on fire. Only four walls -- and piles of rubble -- remained.

There is no date yet for completion of the church at 3300 S. Indiana Ave., because the work depends on the success of a fundraising campaign. Architects and church elders say they plan to focus on the church first.

Brenda Asare, who will lead the fundraising efforts, said she hopes to collect 75 percent of the $37 million from donors who contribute $100,000 or more. Asare, senior vice president and Midwest division manager for The Alford Group, a consulting company for non-profits, said the recent economic downturn will make her job tough.

"We will run into people who want to support our project but can't do it at the level they would have two weeks ago or three years ago," she said.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich promised $1 million, but the donation has been mired in controversy. The governor has said he intended the money to go to the church's administrative offices, but bureaucratic errors sent it to a school that held classes on the church grounds.

The congregation, which continues to attend services at the church's community center across the street, has grown since the fire. It has doubled its size of about 200 people when the fire occurred, and letters of support continue to come in from across the globe.

Along with its architectural significance, Pilgrim Baptist Church was home to the gospel music movement and has long played an important role in the African-American community.

The project unveiled Saturday seemed to speak to the church's past as well as its future.

Cynthia Jones, vice chairwoman of the board of trustees for the church, said tears came to her eyes when she saw the plans.

"I thought about the people -- all of the saints, including my mother -- who have come through this church," she said. "They are rejoicing in heaven to see it come out of the ruins."

Austin, whose father-in-law led the congregation for 42 years before his death in 1968, said she is excited for the future. "I hope the Lord will let me live to walk in there one more time," she said.